Interview with NTIF organizers: “Do you want to learn something new and have fun? Go to NTIF!“

The 8th edition of the Nordic Translation Industry Forum (NTIF) will take place on November 21-23, 2018 in Oslo. Before we head to Norway to check out the latest news and trends in the language industry, we talked to Anne-Marie Colliander Lind and Cecilia Enbäck, the two organizers of the event. We wanted to know more about the beginnings, the changes and the future of NTIF, and now, we can‘t wait for November to come!

What is the story of NTIF? How did it start and develop into the conference as we know it today?

The conference started as we both felt that the Nordic LSPs were seldom present at the international conferences, and therefore risked missing out on important industry developments. We realized that we needed to create an environment in the Nordics where our regional industry peers could meet and exchange experiences and share knowledge.

It was actually meant to be a one-off – one time only – but apparently we had indeed filled a gap and we were prompted to repeat the event – so we did.

What we didn’t expect, was how the environment would develop. We thought this would be a regional event for the Nordic language services experts only, but unintentionally we created something else: A healthy business environment for the entire international industry. Today we have companies from more than 30 countries attending to find new business opportunities. Our Nordic touch remains though, through local speakers, local brands and topics in our program related to regional challenges.

Who are the main target groups of the conference?

Business owners and LSP executives who like to make their businesses stand out. And anyone who wants to find new business opportunities, whether you are a vendor, buyer, linguist or technology provider.

How does NTIF differ from other events in the industry?

Our Nordic focus, and our efforts to always find new topics and new speakers. This conference isn‘t run by an association – it’s a conference run by two language industry entrepreneurs with the goal of creating an inspiring business environment, making our attendees feel comfortable, and having a good time. Do you want to learn something new and have fun? Go to NTIF!

What will be the highlight of this year’s event? What will be different compared to last year?

Our highlight is about sign language! Our keynote speaker is a deaf rapper and we will hear his story. What’s more, we will have insightful sessions that involve the EU institutions and their upcoming technology development as well as an LSP tech panel.

What are the current trends in the translation industry from your point of view, in general, and in particular regarding the Nordic countries and companies?

One general trend is definitely Mergers & Acquisitions (M&A)! Regarding the Nordic countries, there is a lot of capital in the region that could be attractive for investors. Small and specialized companies might be left behind – or benefit largely from it. It’s a bit tricky, we’ll see.

Which values and principles does the NTIF represent?

Who would be your favorite keynote speaker if you could choose anyone?

We have already managed to have them come to NTIF! But, we would really have loved to welcome Hans Rosling, who had impressed us deeply by his positivism through statistics approach. Tragically, he passed away, far too early, last year.

What is your vision of the future of NTIF?

Hosting a regional event is a challenge. We strive to not only attract the local players but also strengthen the Nordic language market by bringing the world to the Nordics. By doing this, we want to convey the message that the language industry is ONE industry – which includes all different kinds of stakeholders. And hence all of them should be able to get value from attending one of our conferences.

Thank you both for the insights!

About Cecilia Enbäck

Cecilia has more than 20 years of experience in the translation industry. When she started to work with Translator Scandinavia, the goal was to produce 3,000 words per day – now she is the CEO and one of the owners and the yearly output is about 25 million words. Cecilia is interested in international communication and loves to take on new challenges, both regarding projects and new technology!

About Anne-Marie Colliander Lind

Anne-Marie is a recognized force in the global language industry landscape. She has spent the last 25+ years helping multinational organizations solve their language issues by occupying executive sales and management positions at leading service, technology and market research companies. Anne-Marie is the CEO of Inkrease, a management consulting company based in Sweden, assisting companies in their growth and development strategies.

The translation management system Plunet BusinessManager provides a high degree of automation and flexibility for professional language service providers and translation departments. Using a web-based platform, Plunet integrates translation software, financial accounting and quality management systems. Within a configurable system, various functions and extensions of Plunet BusinessManager can be adapted to individual needs.